Enhancements
Cut
Cut is the single most important piece of information you need to know in order to make an estimate of how good the diamond will look in real life. It is also the single most subjective parameter, and the most difficult to describe with words and numbers. It took GIA, the most trusted gemological laboratory in North America, many years to come up with an effective scale to grade round brilliant and princess cut diamonds based on cut quality. They still do not provide cut grade for fancy shapes such as heart, marquise and others. The cut grades they do provide are not a guarantee, but act much more as guidelines to what the diamond may look like under various lighting conditions.
The variety that exists in shapes and cut styles is enormous. New cut styles are invented all the time, some may be very beautiful and original, others may provide little new compared to older cuts. The round brilliant remains the most recognizeable for many decades, while shapes such as princess (as in the picture on the right) also start to gain popularity for their unique brilliance.
